The advices are not bad if you're more into management role in my opinion although it does have some values that can be applied in day-to-day situation. I'll post the advices here as I'm pretty sure that I'll forget it soon.
Maybe I'll need it in the future if I decided to jump into the management line. Who knows? :)
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Here are some other useful tips:
Improving innovativeness and creative thinking
• Random Input
The Random Input technique can prove particularly useful when trying to come with new ideas or solutions when problem-solving - especially when you have a tendency of using the same approach all the time. When we have a standard way of thinking, it can be difficult to view a problem from a perspective that does not extend beyond the box we've placed ourselves in. By using the Random Input method, we introduce a new manner of thinking that allows us to view a problem from a different angle by creating associations between our problem and a random word.
Grab a dictionary, book or newspaper, open it on any page, and pick the first or last word that appears. How would you describe that word? Create a list of its characteristics and traits, and think about how it relates to your problem. The point of this exercise is to inspire ideas by using the brain's uncanny ability to make connections between words.
• Problem Reversal
The Problem Reversal technique is based on the belief that everything has an opposite. In order to understand one side, you need to take its counterpart into consideration. Therefore, by looking at a problem in reverse you can gain a greater understanding of it by looking at the situation from a contrary perspective. For example:
- Reversing the problem: Team morale is low. What are the methods you can use to make it even worse?
- Refrain from offering rewards after a job well done.
- Belittle team members in front of everyone.
- Take away their autonomy and don't clarify what their roles are.
• Ask Questions
The standard Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How provide a simple and straightforward method that can generally be applied to almost any problem. You can also add "What if" to the mix, a technique also known as "Assumption Smashing". For example: You've just had a big fight with a coworker. What if you:
- Apologize first/Wait for him or her to apologize.
- Talk to him or her/Talk to the manager.
- Send him or her an apology in an email/Apologize face to face.
After you've create a list of ideas, "smash" or eliminate those that you can't use.
The Discontinuity Principle
The Discontinuity Principle posits the belief that it is important to change our pattern of thinking in order to create new neuronal connections. By breaking our usual cognitive pattern, we are able to see a situation from a whole new perspective and come with different ideas or solutions. In order to interrupt the pattern, try doing routine things differently. For example, change up your morning practices - brush your teeth first, take a shower next, and then make your bed. Take a different route to work. Arrange you clothes in your drawers in a totally different way.
Brainstorming
In order to make the brainstorming process a lot more fruitful make sure to keep these four rules in mind:
- Make sure that the problem is clear to everyone.
- Encourage and accept all sorts of ideas, no matter how unconventional.
- Refrain from judging each other's ideas, particularly those that are off-the-wall. Even if they can't be used to solve the problem at hand, they can help to generate other ideas.
Imitation
This doesn't imply that you should steal someone else's idea; rather, use it as a source of inspiration to generate your own solutions. How you can improve on this existing idea? What makes it work? What are its disadvantages?
Unconscious Problem-solving
Ever find yourself struggling to solve a difficult problem only to find the perfect solution in a dream? With all the craziness happening in our everyday lives, it can be nearly impossible to concentrate on one issue let alone solve a complex problem. What your brain needs is clarity - some quiet, uninterrupted incubation time where you can let your thoughts float through your mind without forcing them. You can either find a quiet room or, some experts suggest, leave a notepad at the side of your mind. When you walk up in the morning, right down everything you remember from your dreams, or any other thoughts that came to mind before you dozed off.
Analytical Reasoning/Logic
• Cut out unnecessary details. Don't be distracted by gratuitous or deliberately misleading information in the question. Look for the essential details and concentrate on those.
• Don't fall victim to false syllogisms. Just because some A's are B's and some B's are D's doesn't mean that some A's are D's. If you have to, draw diagrams or change the example to something familiar to you so that it will feel less abstract. For example, a student might use the following example to clarify a statement like the one above; "Some of my friends (A's) are students (B's). Some students (B's) are pre-med (D's). Therefore, some of my friends (A's) are pre-med (D's). This statement is evidently not true based on the information given (although it could be true by chance).
• Think out loud. Some people find it helpful to talk out loud when solving logic problems. Have a debate with yourself. Ask yourself questions. Why does option A make more sense than option B?
• Practice your deductive powers. Do a crossword puzzle with your coffee in the morning or after your dinner. Play different logic or mathematic game like Dominoes ?, Chess?, Clue ?, or stretch your mind with brainteasers.
• Put away that calculator. Try adding numbers in your head. If it is getting daunting, try adding two or three at a time instead. Add together easily combined numbers first - such as 16 plus 14, or 5 plus 15.
• The same goes for multiplication. Whenever possible, divide daunting tasks into less discouraging ones. If you need to multiply 215 by 18, for instance, you can first multiply 200 * 18, which is 3600. You are then left with 15 * 18 to multiply. Try breaking this down further into 15 * 2 * 9. So now 15 * 2 is 30, and 30 * 9 is 270. Add 3600 + 270, and you have 3870.
• If possible, start at the end of a problem (the solution) and work backwards. If you are stuck, especially in a math question, solve the problem working backwards from all of the answer choices to see if they work.
• You don't necessarily have to use the same techniques you learned in math class to solve equations. Draw diagrams, pictures, or write out all the information in sentence form if that is what helps you.
• Once you have come up with a response, check it. Take that extra bit of time to go back and do the math to check your work.
• Avoid making silly computational mistakes. Even if you know what you need to do to solve a problem, small errors can lead to the wrong response. Work carefully.
• Get re-educated. If you're really intent on improving your skills in these areas, enroll in some math or science refresher courses.
You can try for yourself here: http://is.gd/iNXwm
